1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to handlign equipment, and more specifically, it deals with apparatuses for orienting parts such as asymmetrical bodies of revolution in feeding devices of various units during handling.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When parts are fed from a pile to workstation of production machines, it is necessary to impart to the parts being fed a predetermined orientation in space which is required to carry out their process handling.
The process of orienting consists in bringing all parts into a predetermined position. This process consists, in its turn, of two consecutive operationa. First, the position of a part is identified, and the part is turned to bring it into properly oriented position.
Structural features of a part shape (presence of a hole, groove, shoulder, flange, spherical end face, and the like) or an offset position of the center of gravity with respect to the end face of a part are used to identify position of parts.
Those features of part surface which are chosen as identification elements are orientation features.
The parts position is determined in orienting apparatuses having members which are configured in such a manner as to conform to the shape of identification features. Subsequent turning of parts into properly oriented position in prior art feeding devices is carried out at the moment of picking them up from the pile or during feeding or transfer into a trough of a unit.
An apparatus for orienting cylindrical caps is known in the art (N.I. Kamyshny, Avtomatizatsiya zagruzki Stankov, 1977, Mashinostroenie Publishing House, Moscow). p. 51). Caps are fed only-by-one from a trough to a screw. If the caps face with their opening down, they are put on the screw and are then overturned and fall down into the trough with the bottom down. If the cap falls down on the screw with its bottom, it will recoil upwards and then fall down into the trough in the former position, i.e. with the bottom down. Therefore, all caps fed to the trough will be oriented with the bottom down.
The same technique is used for orienting products in a packing machines (FR, B, 2251483).
These apparatuses are deficient in that a free falling part has a large degree of freedom which may result in the part being fed to a unit in a non-oriented position.
Another disadvantage is that an improperly oriented part is to be turned through an angle greater than 90.degree. in a vertical plane for bringing it from one position to another so that spacing the parts should be greater than two times their length thus lowering throughout capacity.
An apparatus for feeding corks is known (U. S. Pat. No. 2336606).
This apparatus is deficient in that a limited range of products can be oriented.
In fact, this Everett's apparatus is designed for orienting bodies with a simple surface configuration such as corks, which are capable of interacting with orienting members of a conveyor.
At the same time, parts having an intricately shaped surface such as those having end face projections, drilled holes, grooves, flanges, tapering portions, and the like on their cylindrical surfaces cannot interact as desired.
In addition, all parts must move along one side of the conveyor in the Everett's apparatus and pass through all orienting zones. As a result, properly oriented parts will come in contact with control members in all zones and loose stability. In the prior art apparatus, parts always have three degrees of freedom which lowers their stability during orienting. All this results in an adequate reliability of the apparatus.
An apparatus for orienting parts having a convex surface is also known (SU, A, 718332).
The apparatus comprises a conveyor consisting of guide member with a slot accommodating a screw, the turns of the screw protruding from the slot to an amount equal to the depth of a part recess, the screw pitch and diameter corresponding to the width of the recess.
This prior art apparatus is deficient in a low throughput capacity improperly oriented parts are removed from the conveyor during operation,
In addition, the same parts are repeatedly loaded in a non-oriented position and then rejected back into a hopper so that part surfaces are damaged.